public speaking

noun

1
: the act or process of making speeches in public
2
: the art of effective oral communication with an audience

Examples of public speaking in a Sentence

He has a fear of public speaking. She has a gift for public speaking. a book on public speaking
Recent Examples on the Web In 19th century Detroit, there was little stigma attached to public speaking. Michael Jackman, Detroit Free Press, 9 Mar. 2024 Over the next six months, the pair regularly spoke on the phone, discussing things like how to build and demonstrate leadership skills, how to prioritize, personality management within the company, public speaking, and presenting skills and relationship building. Katie Bain, Billboard, 1 Mar. 2024 Earlier this month at a public speaking event, Thao cited that investigation as reason for not treating Pridgen as a serious candidate. Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024 Some examples include public speaking, starting a blog or launching a podcast. Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 Those seeking office receive instruction in campaigning, opposition research, election law, campaign finance, public speaking and handling the press, said Charles Wowkanech, the president of the New Jersey A.F.L.-C.I.O. Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 Part of his job is public speaking and sharing about his life on Facebook and other social media sites. USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024 Even offseason trips to Sin City were frowned upon by the league but Tunney did a lot of public speaking, and many of those conventions were in Las Vegas. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024 Van, who has attended the Alviso clubhouse for more than a decade, had to practice public speaking, write essays and work on team-building exercises throughout the four-month program. Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'public speaking.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of public speaking was in 1759

Dictionary Entries Near public speaking

Cite this Entry

“Public speaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20speaking. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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